Boltless rail connection.



Nox 825,135.

PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. B. KREUZBBRGBR.

BOLTLESS RAIL CONNECTION.

APPLICATION IILED APR- 7. 1906.

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PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. B. KREUZBERGER.

BOLTLESS RAIL CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED APB.7.19064.

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BARTLET KREUZBERGER, 0F MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

BOLTLESS RAIL CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ltatented July 3. 1 9b 6.

Application filed April '7, 1906. Serial No. 310,516.

To @ZZ 21172/0717/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARTLET KREUZBER- GER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Boltless Rail Connection, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a connection for the ends of railroad-rails by which the rails shall be made self-connecting and bolts, nuts, and fish-plates be dispensed with in connecting the rails together.

The essential parts of my novel connection are integral parts of the rails themselves, and the only additional parts are bed-plates, which are preferably used at the joints and are spiked to the ties.

My novel improvements do not add materially to the cost of the rails, provide a joint much stronger than any heretofore producedhin fact, as strong asthe rail itself even if not supported-and effect a great saving in the cost of material in doing away with fishplates, bolts, lock-nuts, &c., effect a great saving in the cost of construction, as track can be laid very much faster and with less men than are required to lay track when the joints are made in the usual manner, and effect a great saving in the cost of maintenance, as there are no fish-plates, bolts, and nuts to require constant looking after and tightenmg up.

l/Vith these and other objects in view I have devised the novel boltless rail connection, of' which the following description, in connec-z tion with the accompanying drawings, is a` specification, reference characters being' usedY to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating two contiguous rail ends provided with my novel joint members and connected together as in use; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the right joint member as seen in Fig. 1 detached; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the left joint member as seen in Fig. 1 detached and inverted; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1 looking toward the right; Fig. 5, a side elevation corresponding with Fig. 1, illustrating a form of my novel joint differing slightly in details of construction; Fig. 6, a plan view of the right member and bed-plate as in Fig. 5 detached, the left member being removed; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7 7 in Fig. 5 looking toward the right.

A and B denote, respectively, right and left rail ends provided with my novel interlocking members, (denoted, respectively, by C and D.)

10 denotes the treads, 11 the webs, and 12 the base-flanges of the rails, which may be of ordinary or any preferred weight or style.

In order to give a vertical strength at the joints equal to the full strength of the rails themselves, I break oints between the tread and the base-flange. In the present instance I have shown the base of interlocking member C as extending the full length thereof and the tread as cut away down to the web for some distance from the end of the member, leaving a shoulder 13, and in order to provide the interlocking projections and recesses without in any way weakening the joint against vertical, oblique, or horizontal strain I make the bodies of the interlocking members,which I have indicated by 14, the full width of the tread. Member C is provided with a dovetail recess 15, widest at the bottom, shown as extending down to the base-flange and closed at the back by a web 16. At the extreme end of the member is a projection 17. Hem-V ber D is provided with a dovetail projection 18, which passes laterally into and closely fits dovetail recess 15 in member C, the back of the projection resting against web 16. Between projection 18 and the end of the member is a recess 19, which extends down to the flange, is widest at the bottom, and is shown as straight upon the end toward the inner end of the member and dovetailed upon the other end, the back of this recess being closed by a web 20. This recess receives projection 17 on member C laterally, the projection just fitting the recess and the back thereof resting against web 20. It will thus be seen that when the rails are joined together by the lateral interlocking of the projections and the recesses a perfectly firm andA rigid joint is made having a strength fully equal to the strength of the rails. In practice I preferably extend the tread of rail B, the end of which engages shoulder 13 in member C, past recess 15 in said member, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The rails may be retained in place upon the ties (not shown) in the usual manner by spikes 24.

In Figs. 1 and 4 I have shown the joint members as secured together by means of a bed-plate 21, which is spiked to the ties. This form of bed-plate is shown as provided with grooves 23, which receive the baseflanges of rails longitudinally, and with inwardly and upwardly extending side fianges ICO which lie in close Contact with the joint members when assembled, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. When this form of bed-plate is used, it is slid over one joint member-for example, the right member C, as seenin Fig. 1-and past the member on to the rail proper. Then the connection is made by causing projection 18 on member D to pass into recess 15 in member C and projection 17 on member C to pass into recess 19 in member D. ThenY the bed-plate is slipped toward the left over the connection and is spiked to place, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I have illustrated a varient form ol bed-plate, which is indicated by 25. In this form the side flanges and grooves are omitted and the bed-plate is provided with a recess 26, which receives the base-flanges of the joint members vertically, and also with an upwardly-projectmg tenon 27, which passes through a recess 28 at the mid-width ofthe base-flange of member C and engages a mortise 29 in projection 18 of member D, as is clearly shown in Fig. 7. It should be understood, however, that neither form of base-plate is a necessity of construc- -tion, but the joint members may be securely retained in place by the usual spiking of the rails to the ties. As an additional means, however, of strengthening the oint and retaining the members securely locked in place I preferably use one or the other form of baseplate illustrated in the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A boltless rail connection comprising rail ends provided with joint members having laterally-interlocking dovetail recesses and projections.

2. A boltless rail connection comprising rail ends provided with corresponding joint members, each member comprising a body, a tread and a base-Harige, one of said members having the tread portion partly cut away and being provided with a dovetail recess 15, and a projection 17 and the other member being provided with a tread portion corresponding with the cut-away tread portion of the rst member, with a dovetail projection adapted to engage recess 15 closely and arecess adapted to receive projection 17 closely.

3. A boltless rail connection comprising rail ends provided with corresponding joint members, each member comprising a body, a tread and a base-flange, one of said members having the tread portion partly cut away leaving a shoulder 13 and being provided with a dovetail recess 15 and a projection 17 -at the end thereof, and the other member being provided with a tread portion corresponding with the cutaway portion oi the first member and engaging the shoulder, with a projection adapted to engage recess 15 closely and a recess adapted to receive projection 17 closely.

4. A boltless rail connection comprising rail ends provided with corresponding joint members, each member comprising a body, a tread and a base-ange, one of said members having the tread portion partly cut away and being provided with a dovetail recess 15, and a projection 17, and the other member being provided with a tread portion corresponding with the cut-away tread portion of the i'irst member, with a dovetail projection adapted to engage recess 15 closely and a recess adaptn ed to receive projection 17 closely and a bedplate upon which the joint members rest and which is provided with grooves adapted to receive the base-flanges of the members and with side iianges adapted to engage the body portions of the members said bed-plate being adapted to be slid over and past one joint member and then slid back over both joint members after the connection is made.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BARTLET KREUZBERGER. 

